"The bottom line is that abortion is not healthcare. As we continue to refine the healthcare legislation that will improve quality and reduce costs for American families, we should avoid subsidizing elective abortions, abortion providers, and health plans that cover abortion services. Any legislation ought to explicitly prohibit funding for these sources to avoid creating dangerous loopholes that allow taxpayer funds to pay for abortions unwittingly.I applaud the pro-life provisions included in the American Health Care Act of 2017, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to prioritize these same principles as they consider future healthcare legislation."

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to craft a health care bill in the Senate. We recognize and appreciate your consideration of our pro-life priorities within the bill.

While there have been differences of opinion on the best way to fix our nation's health care system, the pro-life majority in the House of Representatives has reached consensus that any health care legislation must abide by the overarching principle that abortion is not health care, and that therefore, elective abortion, abortion providers, and health plans that include elective abortion should not be subsidized.

History has made it clear that any legislation pertaining to health care that does not explicitly prevent funding for abortion providers or abortion coverage, by default includes such funding.

The House-passed American Health Care Act of 2017, H.R. 1628, applied these principles by including statutory protections against funding abortion under any current and future tax credits utilized under this bill, or any other form of government assistance for the purchase of health care; and reallocating funds away from certain abortion providers to community health centers.

As you move forward with health care legislation in the Senate, we encourage your continued prioritization of these pro-life principles.